Practice Math Facts with Chutes and Ladders

He always laughs when I go down that purple slide once again.  (Every time we play I get stuck on that same slide, over and over again.)  Now that my kids are in elementary school, they may be past some of their favorite preschooler games, but thanks to my bad luck, Chutes and Ladders is still one of my son’s favorite board games.  This week the game became a fun way to practice math facts. 

Chutes and Ladders is already jammed packed with math practice.  Kids have to count the spaces they move (one to one correspondence).  When they spin, they can use addition to figure out what square they will land on before they move their piece.  (I’m on 15 and just spun 4.  15+4= 19; so I will land on 19.)  You can even talk about whether the numbers are odd or even.

A simple pack of flashcards can help you take the learning up a level.

Practicing Math Facts with Chutes and Ladders

Instead of using the spinner that comes with the board game, you will use a set of flashcards.  Shuffle the cards and set them in a pile next to the board.  Players take turns flipping a flashcard over and solving the equation.  If the player gets the answer correct, they move their playing piece that many spaces on the board.  Just as in the normal way to play Chutes and Ladders, the first player to 100 wins.

You can easily tailor the game to meet your child’s needs.  Choose the math facts your child is working on.  Need more review with the +3 and +5  facts?  Just use those cards.  We used addition flashcards.  You could also play the game using subtraction facts.

I got to hear that precious giggle several times as we played.  (Tell me I’m not the only one that seems to always be stuck going down the slide in Chutes and Ladders.)  Using flashcards with Chutes and Ladders has given the game new life, and it’s made practicing math facts fun.

Make math fact practice more fun:

• Kinesthetic Math Activity
• Practicing Math Facts with 2 Classic Card Games
• Have a Ball Practicing Math Facts
• Fun Math Games They’ll Love